Well, Sharon himself brought up this version again before he was first elected PM, tough as discussed earlier, I agree that he may have long abadoned this as realistic option. (BTW, according to Uri Avnery, when Sharon ignored his orders during the invasion of Lebanon, his original plan was to chase Arafat all the way to Amman, with Jordan turning Palestine as a result, an idea he must have hatched during Black September - so he didn't "misspoke".)

_{*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.}